By Eleni P. Austin
Full disclosure: For me, X is the ne plus ultra of Los Angeles Punk. Some bands did it first, others did it louder. But nobody did it better than X. The four-piece consists of John Doe (vocals, bass), Exene (vocals), Billy Zoom (guitar) and DJ Bonebrake (drums). Formed in 1977, their debut, Los Angeles arrived in 1980, a perfect distillation of the spit-soaked snarl of the L.A. Punk scene.
Along with their first record, their next three (Wild Gift, Under The Big Black Sun and More Fun In The New World), were produced by ex-Doors keyboardist, Ray Manzarek. It felt as though he was passing the L.A. music torch to the next generation. Other albums followed, and X took a couple hiatuses, but the original quartet roared back to life in 1999 and has been going strong ever since.
Five years ago, they returned with their first new music since 1993. Alphabetland was perfect combo-platter of Punk, Country, Blues and Folk. They quickly followed up last year with Smoke & Fiction, a brilliant synthesis of everything that came before. At that point, the band announced it would be their final album and their final tour. Now that tour winds down with shows in Reno, Nevada and Riverside. I was lucky enough to catch up with John Doe and Exene Cervenka and they answered a few burning questions:
ELENI: What is your earliest musical memory?
JOHN: At four years old, we moved from Tennessee to Wisconsin. I remember singing in the back seat as we drove down the highway.
EXENE: Listening to the AM radio in the car. I figured out that most of the songs were about love. And most of the songs were sad.
ELENI: When did music become an obsession for you? Which artists first blew your mind back then?
JOHN: Music has never been my obsession, but it remains the most mysterious means of communication.
EXENE: Music has never been an obsession. I don’t think I’ve ever been obsessed with much, really. The early FM radio, late night on my transistor radio was mind-blowing. Hendrix, The Doors. When I was really young, all the artists on Ed Sullivan. Opera singers, The Supremes, The Beatles, etc.
ELENI: John, did you come from a musical family? What motivated you to begin writing your own songs?
JOHN: Both my mother and father played Classical music. Writing your own music, expressing yourself through that creation, was expected in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
ELENI: Exene, I know poetry was your main priority when you came to California. Did you have any musical ambitions growing up?
EXENE: No, it would be insane to think I would even leave Illinois. I don’t think I thought about it until I met John.
ELENI: X’s debut, Los Angeles, was released 45 years ago. To me, it’s the definitive L.A. Punk record. But by your third and fourth efforts, Under The Big Black Sun and More Fun In The New World, the band’s sound shifted in a Rootsier direction. Can you tell me what inspired that change?
JOHN: Most artists evolve to include their early influences. Ours were Country, Blues and Rock n’ Roll.
EXENE: We love all kinds of music. John and I did the Country-Folky thing when we met, and later with The Knitters.
ELENI: Alphabetland was such a brilliant return in 2020, and then you doubled-down in 2024 with Smoke & Fiction. When the latter was released, you announced it would be the final X album. Are you sticking with that, or do you think X has more music to make?
JOHN: In the future, we may record a song or two, but creating a full-length LP is beyond our stamina or interest at this point. I feel we’ve said what we needed to say as a band.
EXENE: We are done with LPs, but possibly, we might do a do a song for a soundtrack or something like that. Hopefully.
ELENI: The Knitters began as a side project in the earlier ‘80s (featuring John, Exene and DJ from X, Dave Alvin from The Blasters and Johnny Ray Bartel from Jimmy & The Mustangs), and their debut was released in 1985. After 20 years, they returned in 2005 with a second album. Another 20 years have elapsed, any chance there might be a reunion and a third record?
JOHN: Another Knitters record is very doubtful, but you never know with The Knitters.
EXENE: I have no idea about that. Up to the Universe.
ELENI: Exene, it’s been a few years since the release of your last solo album, The Excitement Of Maybe. Is there any new solo music on the horizon for you?
EXENE: No plans for any more, but thanks for asking. Including the Spoken Word records, I think I’ve done seven records, maybe more. I’m super focused on making visual art. Been doing that the whole time, since 1975.
ELENI: John, you recently starred in the film D.O.A., which is loosely based on the classic 1950 Noir of the same name. How did that come about? Your acting career has mostly consisted of supporting parts. How did it feel to have a leading role?
JOHN: The director, Kurt St. Thomas, and writer Nick Griffin deserve all the credit for bringing D.O.A. to life. It took seven years from inception to release. Playing the lead in a film is both exhausting and thrilling.
ELENI: X has participated in a couple of documentaries, the epochal Decline Of Western Civilization, which chronicled the L.A. Punk Scene, and X: The Unheard Music, which centered on the band. Will there ever been a more definitive documentary of the band, maybe using John’s two books (Under The Big Black Sun and More Fun In The New World) as a blueprint?
JOHN: The Unheard Music is the definitive film about X’s heyday. There’s no reason to make another documentary.
EXENE: That’s for someone else, like a filmmaker to decide.
ELENI: As X’s final world tour winds down, what’s next for you guys? Any new projects in the pipeline?
JOHN: ‘It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over’ – Yogi Berra.
EXENE: For me, it’s just art, all the way. Always looking to do exhibitions with other artists at cool galleries and museums. That’s the goal.
———————————-
X with special guests LOS LOBOS, Friday, November 14th 2025. Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Blvd, Riverside, CA. (951) 779-9800. www.foxriverside.com.
